All Visual Arts: Jonathan Wateridge

During Frieze Week 2012, I spent a few days with Kings Cross gallery, All Visual Arts; their satellite show Metamorphosis blew me away and I’ve been hooked on their shows since. Every exhibition carries an air of mystery, from the morbid ceramics of Bertozzi e Casoni to their contemporary drawing show Between The Lines, for some reason this gallery’s exhibitions always hit a nerve.

Currently on show is a collection of Jonathan Wateridge’s work, having moved back to All Visual Arts – the artist’s representing gallery – from L&M Arts in LA. The collection is only viewable by appointment for a short period, and like the artist this show is modest – but absolutely worth visiting. Wateridge’s style has developed from his slightly brash, artificially-lit scenes into a softer style – almost like a photographer whose camera has lost focus, or discovered a new medium in switching from the clean shapes of digital to the evocative tactility of analogue film.

Wateridge’s new works are mesmerizing in their simplicity: a triptych of a man’s suited shoulders so rich that you can almost feel the fine threads of the jacket; the wire mesh of a tennis court scored in sharp white dashes, pulled tight and hot in the blazing sunlight.

The show is comprised of cropped, almost abstract pieces, as well as the portraits and larger pieces which characterize Wateridge’s career. A young artist, this show evidences the way that his style is developing – his most recent work displaying a more sombre tone and velveteen finish. 

Although Wateridge only began exhibiting nine years ago, having rejected painting for almost fifteen years, his work shows no sign of being underdeveloped or amateur. Instead it is self-assured, unapologetic and sublimely crafted. A true modern master.

Jonathan Wateridge is at AVA until the 15th June. 

Images courtesy of L&M Arts

 

WHAM! …Lichtenstein: A Retrospective.

As with all of Tate’s retrospectives, a ticket for this mammoth show should definitely cover two days. 125 examples of his most definitive and often  infamous works recount his career from the early ‘60s until the late 1990s; it’s a blast of colour from every corner, fairly unknown pieces interspersed with those which dominated the Pop Art movement.

For me, it was Lichtenstein’s monochromes and vast interiors which were most interesting; however having studied Pop Art through the “oh, Brad!” and “WHAM!”s of Lichtenstein’s romance and war period, it was thrilling to also see these huge polkadot canvases in person.

Lichtenstein’s work never appears particularly profound but perhaps this is where its success lies: the artist explores emotive situations in a flat, comic-bookish way to mirror our own de-sensitivity to sex, violence, power.

Meaningful or not, Lichtenstein’s work can simply be enjoyed for his bold use of garish primary colours and blatant commercialism. His interiors even include previous works of his hung on the walls –  twenty years after his career kicked off, already viewing his own work as an essential asset for the home. Slightly egotistical, but humorous all the same.

One huge influence which I hadn’t previously been aware of was Picasso, and in this show Lichtenstein’s reinterpretations of his work are not numerous but are extremely successful: a Pop Artist’s simple linear style combined with the complex acute angles of a Spanish master.

This exhibition certainly recognises an afore unappreciated depth to Lichtenstein’s work – it’s by no means moving, but it remains the product of a great deal of thought, research and careful drawing. Lichtenstein’s draughtsmanship reveals itself to be both accomplished and stylised, and his painting style punchy and unapologetic.

We’ve all seen a Lichtenstein reproduced in book or poster form – or currently pasted all over every London tube line – but these vast paintings must be seen in person for the full comic-book to canvas concept to take effect: postage-stamp sized cells blown up to  shout in electric colours and the dizzying pinpricks the man became famous for.

Reid Peppard: Roadkill Cats & Dead Rats

I’ve been writing for Aesthetica for a while and have to come up with entries on a twice-monthly basis, so when the manfriend told me about Reid Peppard (one of his CSM contemporaries) I just had to get in touch!

Reid makes ethically sound taxidermy artworks and jewellery: producing uncanny pieces featuring real creatures under her own name, and intricate metal castings for her jewellery label, RP/Encore.

I was most interested in her work as she is not just a sheep, one of the fashionistas who cottoned onto this sort of morbid movement, but has actually been reworking little lifeless bodies for six years – with stuffed animals at university before learning the craft under a master taxidermist in Yorkshire.

Her work includes crow clutches, squirrel jaw bracelets, rabbit heart pendants and double rat headdresses (one of which you can see atop the head of Lady Gaga in her Bad Romance video, couldn’t resist the name-drop).

Reid has recently moved to LA, and moved on to a whole new menagerie of animals; my interview with the artist explores the motivation for her practice and plans for the future.

Between The Lines: Surrealist Sketches, Uncanny Inks and Impossibly Detailed Drawings

All Visual Arts, King’s Cross is a gallery with a unique taste: their shows heavy with the dark, the bizarre and the mysterious, the works always fresh, unique and sublimely crafted.

This spring AVA is saturated with surrealist sketches, uncanny inks and impossibly detailed drawings. Not just limited to the eight AVA represents, over 21 artists feature in this vast show – ranging from the sublimely grotesque erasure of contemporary German artist Dennis Scholl, to the carefully contoured illustrations of the infamous Salvador Dali. For a show entirely based upon a single medium, the variety is astonishing; as we see here, drawing does not only refer to graphite doodles but instead stands for anything put on a page by expert craftsmanship and the cultivated imagination. AVA’s shows often display a penchant for the bizarre and Between the Lines is no different, with artists from across the globe and centuries brought together by a common theme….

See the full review on Aesthetica, here:

http://www.aestheticamagazine.com/blog/between-the-lines-all-visual-arts-london/

Art13 Art Fair: A bite-size Frieze bursting with talent.

Happy Mothering Sunday everybody, hope you’re all surviving the home front.

Last weekend I was lucky enough to secure a press pass for Olympia’s answer to Frieze, Art13.

The fair was much more manageable, varied and less commercial or hectic than Frieze – a breeze to wander through and absorb talents both new and old.

Most memorable were works from Ged Quinn, William Kentridge, Polly Morgan and the entirety of London’s Lazarides stand which included pieces by Doug Foster and Conor Harrington.

A short, sharp, sweet experience compared to the lengthy glutton of Frieze; I eagerly await next year’s show.

See the full review here:

http://onestoparts.com/article-art13-london

Enjoy!

Breather, Doug Foster

Conor Harrington & the full Lazarides stand-cum-squat

 

 

Ossie Clark: The King of the King’s Road Reigns Again

For this year’s London Fashion Week, Ossie Clark takes the throne once again: bringing floaty florals, skin-tight crepe and structured snakeskins back to the forefront of British fashion.

Designer, artist, photographer; Clark dominated 60s and 70s style, his iconic pieces embodying the freedom, love and peace associated with this eminent era.

For the release of a new collection from Ossie Clark London, Clark’s legacy turned label, a collection of original photo shoots, candid portraits of the designer himself and a vintage Ossie Clark are premiering at Proud Galleries, Chelsea (kingdom of Clark). The star of the show, a vibrant emerald dress, actually hangs delicately and rather unassumingly at one corner of the room; but as we see in his photographs, it is the wearers who truly bring these garments to life.

Although Clark’s designs are absolutely emblematic of 60s culture, it is his unparalleled understanding of the female form which is most noticeable. His pieces cinch, drop and crease in all the right places, celebrating the dainty curves of his models.

This designer’s photo shoots are not the made-up, doe-eyed images you might expect – his women frolic on rocky beaches, flit around stately homes and roll around luxuriously on marble floors. Rather than stiff studio photographs, these are images of heat, confidence and enjoyment.

Peeping through the glass doors of Proud Galleries, this exhibition appears to be like any other regimented commercial show; but once you step inside, a wave of soft, dreamlike music hits and Clark’s ethereal imagery draws you into a calm and peaceful state.

The designer’s otherworldly style is said to be a mishmash of Pop Art and Surrealism – a bright, brash colour palette coupled with organic shapes and, in his photographs, gentle poses which breathe of Surrealist paintings and performance. Clark may be predominantly a designer, but there is no denying a definite nod to the art of his times: his garments inspired by his girls, like artist and muse.

While Clark’s bizarre shoots display his collections, they celebrate his women further. Working with beauties Ingrid Boultin, Lynn Sutherland and Maria Berenson, the models absolutely wear the clothes – unlike contemporary designers, for whom the clothes often seem to wear the women. In the way that Clark’s gothic silks sever just above the waist; or in the way that his sheer pieces stretch taught across the chest then flutter around the neck as lightly as curled hair, it is patent that this designer really does understand his audience.

Never too overstated or adorned, Clark’s clothes function foremost to portray the feminine form in the most flattering way possible.

His supremely artistic approach to fashion is unsurprising considering the company he kept: David Hockney appearing repeatedly in an array of intimate photographs of Clark with friends and family. Other particular gems include a portrait of Clark with a young boy, the two wearing almost identical fur coats: Ossie standing tall, cigarette in hand, whilst the little boy – less sophisticatedly – licks a dripping ice cream; or another elegant image of the designer, asleep in a lounger and warmly lit by the afternoon sun.

Not only does Proud present the designer’s past and future collections; but gives an honest insight into his life, both professional and personal. Clark’s clothes were wearable and becoming, very much part of a particular lifestyle – and that lifestyle was his.

Although the exhibition is only on for another two weeks, a new collection inspired by this member of fashion royalty is now available online from label Ossie Clark London, and in Debenhams stores very soon. Prepare for a summer of fancy-free frolicking and a wardrobe of strong colours, swirling prints and sensual shapes to match.

GAIETY IS THE MOST OUTSTANDING FEATURE OF THE SOVIET UNION

One can just envisage a wry smile lighting up the face of the art world’s most infamous rich kid as he came up with the title of this new show, supposedly featuring the greatest of Russia’s contemporary cultural offerings.

Lightness however, is an element scarcely present within Saatchi’s latest exhibition -instead chiefly memorable for endless murky images of poverty and depression – until, that is, you reach the top floor. Up here spotlights bounce off slick oil paintings which hang proudly in the top floor galleries, waiting to be appreciated – if you ever make it there. 

Full review to follow here:

http://www.aestheticamagazine.com/blog/review-of-gaiety-is-the-most-outstanding-feature-of-the-soviet-union-london/

An exhibition saturated with gloom, yet spattered with a few vibrant splashes of hope and, actually, even a little gaiety.

Back to Birmingham… New Art West Midlands 2013

So, last year one of the many many many things I applied to was New Art West Midlands, and unlike a lot of the countless job and competition applications, this one actually came through!

So I spent my Valentines evening moseying about the show which featured just over 20 graduates from the five art schools situated in and around Birmingham. Whilst my work is in Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (conveniently situated right next to my old art school), there’s also work over at Grand Union at the moment and more to soon appear at The Barber Institute, Selly Oak.

It’s sort of like a combined degree show – and one which might help a few of us kick-start our careers! Here are a few images and a film of my work, which was two hours of 8mm film from 1948-1972 cut down to just one minute via digital editing. I took all of the split second cracks and imperfections out, sewed them together on Final Cut and tah dah! 35 years of film making in a minute.

IMG 1856 from chloe. on Vimeo.

Today began with a TED Talk.

I’m not sure why I wrote this the other day, but I did, and I missed the IdeasTap Columnist competition so here it is. It also completely trails off at the end so it’s probably a good thing that I missed the deadline. But here: happiness, some accidental indulgent self-analysis, and a bit of art chat.

We artists are a grumpy bunch, but things will all work out in the end if we just smile, and don’t cut our ears off either.

Today began with a TED Talk: Happiness ‘expert’ Dan Gilbert on synthesising the one emotion that we treat as an item, a commodity to be had. Happiness has become the ultimate Thing in our materialistic society, and we accumulate other things in the hope that the sum of these equals utter unbounded happiness.

However, as Gilbert affirms, happiness cannot be sought and accrued as it is (not too sound too new age) a state of mind: how we regard what we have. These are not only the items that we have, but family, friends, our talents; elements which we are fully aware that we take for granted – when reminded of them replying with “yes, but I’m not successful”, “yes, but it doesn’t matter”, “yes, but…”

This may sound like a sweeping statement, but during a recent bout of CBT (I’m a hypochondriac, always have been) I began to look into this dismissive attitude and found that it is widely true for young creatives – a genre which encompasses most of my friends, colleagues and acquaintances. This “yes, but…” attitude is so very damaging as it cannot be opened up to the good, as it already recognises and immediately disregards it.

Gilbert talks about synthesised and true happiness: the first is a result of instructing ourselves to enjoy life; the second is the result of achieving the ultimate goals that we believe will give us happiness. True happiness is seen as The Thing, whereas synthesised happiness is simply a meagre replacement for this. However, as true happiness is measured by success – an immeasurable and entirely subjective idea – perhaps synthesised happiness, forcing ourselves to be content, is actually The Thing as it is both realistic and achievable.

Unfortunately, young creatives are not a much of a realistic breed. Most of the young artists seen at private views flouncing about in their Barbour jackets and Toms or heavy heels and impractical headwear, have at some point had a destructive seed planted in their mind: you can have success, and you can have it now. The comments which water this seed will have been made with supportive intentions, but they can inadvertently set expectations.

So if ‘true’ happiness is the result of achieving your goals, does this mean that many of us – perhaps artists in particular – are doomed to a life of misery?

Of course not: happiness can be something intangible that we wait to materialize when that piece of work sells, a particular paper publishes an article, or that gallery commissions a show, or instead it can be something we construct, force even. Every emotion has a cause; our society is saturated with professionals whose job is to identify exactly what makes us sad, so why not instead seek out exactly what can make us happy? Of course this varies slightly as we are all wired up differently, but only to a point.

One of the oldest theories of happiness is Maslow’s Pyramid: a five tier hierarchy of human needs, which should result in happiness when fulfilled in the allocated order. First are physiological needs such as food and water; next comes safety; third is belonging; fourth is esteem; and the final tip, the icing on the cake, is self-actualisation: that imagined success, The Thing.

Maslow’s pyramid is just a theory, but when put into practice reveals why us artists can be such a discontented crowd: we’re trying to climb straight to the top without even laying down the first few bricks; squeezing icing straight onto the table without baking the cake first (which itself alone is a tragedy).

Gilbert and Maslow’s theories are not similar: Gilbert identifies an easily achievable version of happiness, whilst Maslow explains how we become satisfied. However what both scientists do is bring the idea of happiness down from its pedestal and convert it into something concrete, discussing happiness as it is: a physiological state which has a set of definite causes. If we stop fantasising about how happy we could be, stop the “yes, buts”, and instead look objectively at what we have – which for most of us at least includes two rows of Maslow breeze blocks – then maybe we will find that we already have The Thing.

….the pictures are all from found film stills, the happy times of strangers..

 

Memories Moulded in Midnight Ink…Bahk Seon Ghi at Saatchi

Next up on the hit list from Saatchi’s Korean Eye is Bahk Seon Ghi with his 7ft high ebony carving, Point of View.

Initially I’d seen this stack of every day objects in the dimmed upper gallery and thought I had discovered what I would call a ‘Saatchi’ – i.e. a stack of objects sprayed black, a dull, aesthetically uninteresting and contextually shallow large object.

However, I was wrong!

Instead this bluey brown tower, littered with cracks and splinters, is a masterful example of carpentry. The folds of the umbrella canopy curve softly like fabric and the snakeskin skin of the briefcase is uncannily realistic.

 It stands almost totemic, as if commemorating  belongings lost in a fire  or physical items drawn out of a black and white photograph, eerie, unnerving.

Bahk’s piece additionally conjures ideas of traditional oriental ink drawings as its colouring is not black but instead that multi-tonal darkness of Chinese ink – marking brown, blue, grey as the brush strokes have swept across the page.

Bahk’s love affair with charcoal began as a search to incorporate the cycle of nature into his work whilst still dominating a space, so avoiding the flimsiness of trees or leaves he went straight for the jagged, intense depth of charcoal. Initially he suspended tiny pieces of coal using nylon string to create floating sculptures which clearly reflect his interest in the natural world -fragile, ephemeral yet memorable – but using it to form strong structures from the inside of our homes; bringing the outside in.

Now he has stepped away from these fragmented floating ‘paintings’ and developed a much tougher, more solid style. Personally, I think Point of View is much stronger and makes more of a definite point; the hanging pieces are visually interesting but nothing we haven’t also seen from artists like Damian Ortega with his ‘explosions’ or Cornelia Parker. Suspension has become overdone, but a combination of skilled carving, nostalgia and the midnight black of Chinese ink?

That’s something quite extraordinary and I will be following Bahk Seon Ghi to see how this new venture progresses.

….and I really like the bowler….